Jay Jones

Jay T. Jones, Sr., age 86, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at his home in Flat Rock, Alabama, surrounded by his loving family.

Mr. Jones was a long-time banker and a pillar of the Trenton and Dade County community. He devoted 55 years of faithful service to the Bank of Dade, where he served for many years as a loan officer and later as Executive Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors. Known for his integrity, steady leadership, and genuine care for people, Jay helped generations of families and businesses grow and prosper. Banking was more than a career to him. It was a calling rooted in trust and relationships.

Born on February 27, 1939, in DeKalb County, Alabama, Jay was the son of the late Wallace and Novella Berry Jones. He was a 1957 graduate of Fyffe High School, where he was a standout football player. That same year, on April 3, 1957, he married the love of his life, Linda Killian Jones, beginning a marriage that spanned 68 years. Jay adored Linda, and their life together was marked by devotion, partnership, and deep affection.

After a brief time working in Detroit, Michigan, Jay moved his family to Dade County, where he would put down roots that lasted a lifetime. Before entering banking, he worked in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, meat packing, construction, and poultry production. He joined the Bank of Dade on September 5, 1967, although his official start was delayed by one day when his youngest child decided to arrive on that very date, a story he often shared with a smile.

Faith and family were the cornerstones of Jay’s life. He was a devoted Christian and served as a deacon at Edgewood Baptist Church for nearly 60 years. His quiet faith guided his decisions and shaped the way he lived, worked, and loved others. He was a devoted husband, a loving father, a proud grandfather, and a cherished great-grandfather. Few things brought him greater joy than time spent with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife, Linda Jones; son, Jay (Libby) Jones, Jr.; daughters, Angela (Mark) Brown and Amy (Norm) Els; grandchildren, Rachel (Joey) Walker, Andrew Brown, Matthew (Melissa) Brown, Luke Goolesby, Rebecca (Jerry) Jones, and Levi (Rachel) Goolesby; ten great-grandchildren; along with several extended family members and many dear friends.

In addition to his parents, Jay was preceded in death by his sisters, Ruth Knight and Dorothy Wilson.

A funeral service to honor Jay’s life will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday, December 21, 2025, in the Larry Moore Memorial Chapel of Moore Funeral Home in Trenton, Georgia, with Pastor Jim Lilly officiating. He will be laid to rest following the service at Gravel Hill Cemetery in Collbran, Alabama.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Saturday from 2:00 PM until 6:00 PM, and again on Sunday from 12:00 PM until the service hour.

Jay T. Jones, Sr. will be remembered for his unwavering faith, his devotion to family, and a career marked by service, honesty, and compassion. His legacy lives on in the lives he touched and the family he loved so deeply.